


Hypothermia Imminent

by Prismboi



Category: Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Panic, Alien experiencing human emotions for the first time, Alien/Human Relationships, F/M, Hypothermia, Light Angst, Minor Spoilers, Near Death Experiences, Panic, dangerous weather, good ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29669331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prismboi/pseuds/Prismboi
Summary: An alien experiences the fragility of the human body.
Relationships: Al-An & Robin Ayou, Al-An/Robin Ayou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	Hypothermia Imminent

The weather in this planet's sector is merciless, not a drop of leniency is reserved for any clueless dweller. The conditions are an endless convolution of harsh winds, ruthless blizzards, and freezing temperatures. Where body heat can be easily snuffed out with a single gust of wind. For many creatures residing in this planet, their bodies have evolved to withstand the sub-zero climate. For the Architects, well, they created their bodies to be able to withstand almost anything. 

AL-AN never once had his body be at the mercy of the elements. The Architects truly have constructed a body that is most efficient, perfected it, under any kind of condition. It can survive pressures of 300 atmospheres, the skin is made to be unaffected by molten metal, the inner workings made to provide them sufficient heat to not break down under penetrating frost. Sector Zero's landscape would have been no problem for the alien, absurdly easy even.

The problem is, he is not in an Architect's vessel right now.

AL-AN, who appeared to be the only remnant of a living Architect in this planet, is residing in the brain of a certain Robin Ayou, a mere human. The human species have such an inefficient body, he's quite surprised how far they've made it into technology given how fragile their physiques are. Their bodies cannot even withstand both freezing nor burning temperatures- and that's with equipment. He has seen the inefficient ways their bodies try to mend itselves, leaving noticeable scars and bruises. They can't even transport their consciousness as data, refusing to do so even. Yet here he is, stuck in the cerebral cortex of one.

Although, despite their flaws, their strengths somehow exceed the few incapabilities of the Architects, and all it took was Robin for him to see that.

Robin has been surprisingly helpful. For someone who unwillingly and unknowingly offered her consciousness to an advanced alien species, she's been trying her best to help AL-AN find a new storage medium. Though, it may be because she just wants him out of her brain as soon as possible, he can't help but feel that they've been getting along, despite most of their conversations just her lecturing him about how humans are not a lesser being.

It gave AL-AN a better understanding of how humans function, and who is he to refuse scientific discoveries? 

Being transparent though, he may also be grateful that he was finally able to get out of that sanctuary. A bit cramped inside a small human brain but it was better than being shut down. He also didn't know that years of silence could be so deafening, having Robin around alleviated that.

As fun as conversing with Robin is, he admits that she is... A bit reckless at times, why would she follow and interact with an alien in the first place? Or immediately jump into a frozen expedition without any proper gear or equipment. 

And that's how she ended up in this adversity. 

AL-AN, appearing to be the only remnant of a living Architect in this planet, is residing in the brain of a certain Robin Ayou, a mere human, who is currently traversing through a blizzard, the absolute worst time to be underdressed. Yet here she is, freezing in her wetsuit.

Her PDA pointed her to the worksite of the late Sam Ayou, Phi Robotics Center within the Glacial Basin. Of course, Robin didn't wait more than a second for her to get the chance to uncover more about what happened to her sister. It was a success, she managed to get voice logs of her sister along with a few blueprints that might help with her prolonged stay on this planet.

She may want to take back that prolonged stay, as she is considering the possibility of her passing out right here and right now. 

Robin was making her way back to her Seatruck, the weather was calm, the normally piercing cold a gentle breeze. She had made a mental map of the steam vents she passed so she remained casual on her trek. Little did she know, it was the calm before the storm. The peaceful music of the soft wind interrupted by her PDA. **"Dangerous weather approaching, seek shelter."** Her eyes widened, suddenly being reminded of the thin wetsuit she was clad in. A painful reminder, it lacked the insulation for her to last long in the freezing cold. A chill went through her body as the weather turned against her. 

The music turned into a blaring storm. Harsh flurries bitter in its attacks, almost resentful as it cut through her skin. She persevered, each step slower than the last as she felt her body heat steadily decrease. 

Pausing, she surveyed her surroundings, she's damn sure there was a steam vent right around here, but the lowered visibility from the ice storm made it really difficult to spot. Her entire body began to shake, rubbing her hands and arms a futile attempt to warm up. She could almost feel her blood slowly turning to ice, her vision starting to blur as she practically feels icicles forming under her eyelashes. She continued with her slow steps, albeit now wandering aimlessly, shifting between rubbing her hands together and breathing into them, trying to get as much warmth as she could to no avail.

"Robin, your body is reaching alarmingly low temperatures. Are you certain you will be able to return to your vehicle?" Even as AL-AN's voice sounded like a hum in the background, she still replied,

"Of course! I-I still need to know what happened to my sister, a-and make you your body. Need you outta my head w-when I return.” _If she’ll return._ She chuckled weakly.

That didn’t help with AL-AN’s rising worry. He wasn’t referring to Robin’s ultimate demise but she inferred that that was what he meant. He is very much aware of how inferior the human body is compared to an Architect's. Inefficient, fragile, _mortal._ He made calculations, with Robin's continued exposure to these current conditions... She will-...

AL-AN never feared death before, Architects not really having an "end" as they simply uploaded their consciousness to a new vessel when their current one breaks down, but he is presently taking refuge in Robin’s mind- stored within a very much human body. The new emotions being induced within him as he’s being subjected to mortality is just too much to process. How do you live knowing you’ll meet an impending doom? How can you just accept the universe getting devoid of your being? How do you come to an agreement with experiencing this dread, this _pain._

He can feel Robin slowly slipping away.

"Y-yeah I'm... st-starting to realize that...'' She took a few deep breaths, the exhale of smoke clouding her vision even more. She inhaled deeply before continuing through clattering teeth, "g-going through here in j-just my wetsuit w-wasn't the b-best... i-...dea..." She paused in her steps, trembling violently and looking around, “B-but I can still make it… I-I know a s-steam vent is j-just… i-it’s just around here.”

_Please erupt- please erupt- please erupt…_

“I’ll b-be okay A-Alan, d-don’t w-worry.” 

She can feel life draining in her fingertips. Her words completely contradicting what she knows will happen in her mind.

“I w-won’t let e-either of u-us go like t-this.” 

**“Hypothermia imminent.”**

“I-… I’ll…”

She inhaled deeply before heaving. She can hear the heavy thrum of her heart, it almost drowned out the noise of the clamouring storm. Her vision was faltering, the prickling tears freezing in her eyes. 

“Who am I kidding.” She sniffled, closing her hands into fists and shaking. She forced her breathing to steady but it remained quavering, she choked her next words out.

“Alan, y-you’re right. Our b-bodies are truly inefficient... I should've been m-more prepared.” She inhaled deeply, before continuing, “I c-could have prevented this, I-... T-this is all my fault, y-you’ll... I-I’m sorry... I m-made you face t-the consequence o-of my own dumb mistake.”

“Robin-” The lilt in his voice is more pronounced than usual. 

“I failed S-Sam, I f-failed _you,_ Alan, I'm s-so sorry.”

“No, Robin- you didn't-” his voice remained calm, masking the confusion and fear coursing through his mind. 

“I'm sorry Alan, I'm so sorry.”

He feels her consciousness fading.

He... he is panicking, if Robin goes, he’d have no choice but to go with her. His consciousness will no longer exist anywhere- no longer will he be a part of any network. He is gonna completely disappear. 

In his trepidation, something told him to just let go. He sees a white light, and something is convincing him to just embrace it, that everything will be okay if he just relaxed. He felt a stillness go through him, the pounding in his mind had stopped, this is the most tranquil he has felt since the many years his mind can conceive thoughts. So this is what death feels like for humans, it’s more… acceptable than he had perceived. 

Robin closed her eyes and fell to her knees.

...No. There must be a way to salvage this, he didn't wait in that sanctuary for over a thousand years for nothing. He needs to try to find the others, see what became of his species, see if there is anyone else _alive._ He refuses to go like this.

He refuses for Robin to go like this.

Not after her efforts, not after their endeavors. 

He had promised before not to tap into Robin’s memories, she had made it very clear that it was an invasion of privacy, him being in her mind was invasive enough, but he’s guessing he can make an exception for right now. He came up with a plan, even if going along with it has a survival rate lower than he would have liked. The numbers barely reach the margin- he would have come up with another solution if this was any other situation- but it’s the only course of action he has left, and he’s holding onto the _hope_ that with it, they'll somehow make it out alive. 

_“Hope” is the thing with feathers -  
That perches in the soul -  
And sings the tune without the words -  
And never stops - at all -_

He remembers Robin’s voice describing to him about this being, he thinks he’s starting to get a better understanding of that avian creature. 

He tapped into her memories, finding one he thinks will make Robin return to her normal circulation. He hoped to induce the same emotion she felt on a particular day and with that, her body would respond accordingly. Find a memory where she was at the most joy… Most animated. 

As vulnerable as a human’s physical attributes were, he had made a mental note to never underestimate their minds. A single human was able to find the cure to the Kharaa virus when the Architects- beings that were far more evolved than humans- hadn’t been able to even through years of research. It was laughable, embarrassing even. He hoped that Robin’s mental capabilities would astonish him much the same, it was a matter of life-and-death. 

He found a memory, it was a time when Sam surprised Robin when she came home when she least expected it, expecting her for another few years. He questioned its appropriateness, considering Sam’s recent passing, but time wasn’t on his side, so he hoped it would suffice. He could take any berating from Robin as long as she could make it out alive. 

He triggered the memory.

_And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -  
And sore must be the storm -  
That could abash the little Bird  
That kept so many warm -_

Robin felt her train-of-thought rekindling, remembering the time Sam made her ugly cry in front of a stage. She was a mess of emotions that time, a jumble of bewilderment, embarrassment, and utter happiness. She remembers crying on her sister's shoulder in front of what felt like the entire university. She hadn't seen her sister in person for over a decade, and when she saw her in the front seats while she was presenting her thesis, she just couldn't help but run up to her then and there. To hell with her thesis, her sister is finally here. She could almost feel the warmth in her cheeks as she remembers the memory. Great, she was at verge of death and her mind decided to replay the most embarrassing moment in her life… and the happiest. 

She needs to find Sam.  
And Alan… she needs to stay alive for him. 

She hadn’t noticed at first, but her heart that was near stopping began pumping blood back to her veins. She felt the tiniest bit of life flow through her, she blinked her eyes open, vision hazy but it was better than the lack of it. With shaky legs, she tried to regain her footing. 

_I’ve heard it in the chillest land -  
And on the strangest Sea -_

“Robin?” She heard AL-AN call out.  
“A-Alan..?” Thank God, he’s still here. 

“I am sensing a rising of heat to your left, go to it now.” 

Staggering, she followed AL-AN’s directions. Trying to navigate through the snow that was thankfully beginning to let up, she could almost hear the crackling of the thin layer of frost her clothes have accumulated. Her body was numb but every step felt like torture, no steam vent present in her lacking vision. But she can’t give up now, not when hope was reignited within her. She continued stumbling for some seconds, to her, it felt like hours, until finally, she felt the rumbling of the ground beneath her. She hastened her pace, almost tripping as she found the steam vent and held her hands above it. It erupted and she instantly felt her body heat returning, a sigh of relief escaping her, she could feel her tears again. Tears that were once created in pain, now of joy.

She stayed silent, completely speechless from what had just occurred, AL-AN remained quiet too. The steam vent eventually stopped erupting and the weather cleared, though no wind was present this time. It amplified the silence that befell them, almost a ringing to her ears. Robin snapped back to her senses and continued with the original intention- making her way back to her Seatruck. 

It was a quiet trek back, both the human and alien still shaken over nearing death. The silence was neither comfortable nor uneasy, it just felt like… dead air. Once she returned, she immediately went to the cot at the back of the unit, she pulled down the Murphy bed and sat. The air felt thick as she recounted the events, replaying in her mind. Robin was first to break the silence.

"Alan… are you okay?" She asked, staring at the only thing her eyes can land to- a picture of a family of Pengwings she attached on the wall. To another person, it looked like she was trying to talk to the image. She looked the part of a person who had a near death experience at least. 

"Why are you asking me, was it not your body caught in the middle of the entropy? I did not feel anything your pain receptors registered during the ordeal."

“There are different kinds of pain, Alan, not just physical. Mental, emotional…"

"My species is unaware of this." _Along with any other information that doesn't concern science and the body of knowledge._ Robin thought, smirking a bit. Even with the Architects' remarkable advancements, they were unbelievably clueless. 

"Now you know, so I'll ask again, are you okay? Or at least… How do you feel right now?" The blunt tone she normally used when talking to the alien is absent, replaced with a gentle one in her inquiry.

"I… My stress levels are approaching an optimal number, I feel better in comparison to my earlier state… I am okay.. Though I would like to ask you the same question."

Robin smiled, it was a genuine one. She found it heartening that the alien is also worried about her mental state. It established that AL-AN is also concerned about _her,_ and not just the physical body he is currently residing in. No longer is she just some "storage medium."

"I am well now, Alan. Thank you for asking me." The small room fell into silence again, but this time, it's a comfortable one. The two beings now embracing the peace after the chaos.

Once again, it was Robin who first broke the silence. "When I was… reaching my end, I suddenly remembered something with my sister, it gave me the energy I needed to survive. That memory… were you somehow behind it?"

"It- it was the only thing I could come up with at that time, in which we had very little of. I admit, it wasn't the most appropriate. I had to tap into your memories, and I questioned if the particular one I chose was proper considering your current state of emotions regarding your-"

"Woah- woah, woah, Alan, calm down! I was only asking if it was you who did that. Don't worry, you chose perfectly, and if you didn't do what you did… well… we both know what would've happened."

AL-AN felt relief, it would have not been ideal if Robin felt distress from triggering the memory. He relaxed, a few seconds passing before he spoke again.

"I'm glad."

Robin smiled, “Thank you Alan, for saving me.” She said earnestly.

“It was the least I could do for the inconvenience I am causing you, I like to believe that we are now even. I have salvaged your life as you have preserved my consciousness, I must give you my sincerest gratitude for that as well.” AL-AN said, not a hint of ingenuity in his voice. Robin’s eyes widened at his response, slightly taken aback by his words.

Robin was really starting to grow soft for the alien. She felt like banging her head against the wall in frustration, the possibility of him disposing her once she creates him his vessel still lingering in the back of her mind. He could so easily betray her. But with every interaction with him, with every heartfelt moment they shared, that thought dissipated to less and less, until it was almost inconceivable.

_She trusted him._

“Well, that just gives me another reason to work harder on building you a vessel.” Robin chuckled.  
“... Don’t feel as if you are under some kind of debt.”

She closed her eyes, the dumb smile on her face starting to hurt her cheeks.

"That won't stop me from trying."

  


_Yet - never - in Extremity,  
It asked a crumb - of me._

**Author's Note:**

> I was so sad that there are not many fics being written of these two, so I took matters in my own hands. 
> 
> Loosely based on my own experiences of playing the early access, though I integrated some Al-an/Robin dialogue that's usually triggered after exploring the area. I haven't read more into the story yet, so I apologize if there is anything inaccurate! 
> 
> Thank you for reading, this is my first post in this site <3


End file.
